"A deep mahogany color, Wassail is brewed with four different malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops, giving it a malty full body and a pleasantly hoppy finish that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle."

I can't believe I'm drinking the same beer as other people, or the same beer as I've had in years past, for that matter. This beer is, in a word, lame. And sad. And pretty close to tasteless.

Serving is from a 12 ounce bottle. Apparent "best before" dating of 042506 on bottle, and 13:14 (bottling time?) This and the new label design are what correct me when I wonder if I somehow got a bottle that has been hiding on a warm shelf somewhere for several years.

Poured into a beer clean pint glass. Almost no visible head, what existed was light colored and dense and soon gone.

Aroma is slightly matly, slight hints of roastiness. Zero hop or fruitiness or spice in smell. Same things goes when it has warmed beyond cellar temp, to full room temp.

Color is thin brown, or deep amber. Average to slightly high carbonation. Mouthfeel is thin and fast and fleeting.

Taste is like a slightly tangy brown ale. Zero hop presence noted. Slightly sweet, again it's like a light bodied brown ale. There is some sort of very slight zing to it, which suggests it will deliver more, and then just doesn't. Some note of alcohol, but nothing to rescue it. Tastes like a lot of boring homebrew I've had. Taste changes little as it warms. Totally underwhelming beer.

Like a boring English winter warmer: like something cut out of the Samuel Smith winter warmer cloth, but if possible, even more boring.

Wow -- I would never buy this one again. Very, very disappointing, after interesting versions of this beer I've had in years past, and after their label describes it as "ridiculously tasty winter ale." Blah!

I tried this ale in early December 2008, primarily on the basis of its high overall ratings. It was well within its "drink by" date of 2/09.

The "wassail" was a murky reddish-brown, had low carbonation, and a short, quickly-disappearing head. The taste was somewhat bitter (not "hoppy bitter", just bitter), and a bit funky -- there was a very slight "moldy" taste overlaying the hops -- and the finish was unpleasant and sharp.

Tastes vary, of course, and it's possible that the ale I drank was a "bad batch" or had been stored incorrectly, but the "wassail" was not for me!

A: A dark ruby color, almost a Bloody Marry look to it (find of odd I think). No head forms at all, and no lace. This was after a very aggressive pour. Again, kind of odd.S: Some roasted malt and light fruity hops, but mostly that enoying veggie aroma that is present in several of Full Sail's beer's. I find that almost detestible.T: Same as the nose, a bit more bitter though. That veggie taste does not agree with me at all. Its like somebody put tomatto juice in my beer. Again, think of a Bloody Mary.M/D: Medium to full bodied, not bad here. The 7% abv does not really show, but there is no reason for me to want to drink this.

I am not a big fan of Full Sail I guess. This is not the first time I have detected the veggie character in one of there beers. I am suprised I am the only one compenting on this asspect. Oh well, Full Sail beer's are just not for me.

Brown amber with almost no head and little carbonation - unremarkable. Smells like rootbeer, tastes like bland rootbeer and malt liquor...ok, not that bad but the taste is very flat with some spice as an afterthought. Mouthfeel isn't offensive but you wouldn't know you had a beer in your mouth...maybe like cold, watered down au jus? I did finish a six-pack, but only because that's all that was left in the fridge. Just wait 'til nex year?

7.20% per my bottle, acquired yesterday at Trader Joe's. Enjoy by: 04/02/13. 12 oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; this brewery is usually mediocre but I like the style quite a bit.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger khaki colour head of nice cream, pretty good thickness, and good retention for the fairly high ABV. Body colour is an understated ruby-amber. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Transparent and somewhat translucent.

Sm: Very pleasant toasted malt is dominant, with some typical winter warmer spices in there as well - nutmeg, cinnamon, maybe even cilantro. I'm not great at identifying spices, but it's well balanced in that regard. Amber malts. Some minimal floral hopping. An average strength aroma. I'm excited to try it. No alcohol or yeast comes through.

Mf: Off. Weird artificial candy smoothness in some places and strange coarseness in others. A bit metallic. Dry on the finish, to its detriment. Weirdly thick. Carbonation is adequate. Just artificial all around; it bothers me.

Dr: Drinkable but pretty crap for the style. Another forgettable brew from Full Sail. Still, it's a decent offering at this price point. I wouldn't bother with it again. Hides its ABV well.

Appearance-Pretty dark brown, with some red hues. Darker then other WW's I've had. Head is an off white, almost brown. Some little lacing and retention.

Smell-Extremely subtle spices, and very subtle malts. This may be too cold right now and has to open up a litle bit. As it gets warmer it's still prety bland, some hops come out.

Taste-Ehh, kind of a mess. At first there's some sweet malts but something taste's awkward about it. It then turns into a kind of sourness along with some hops that just don't taste fresh. A tad bit of vodkaish towards the end. The more I drink it kind of taste's like soap.

Mouthfeel-Very thin, no body at all. Carbonation is there, but I wish there was more to eliminate this soapiness.

Deep clear maroon pour with a beige head. Slightly skunky malt smell to it, with a taste of some dark toasty tart malt. Unusual flavor for sure. Not particularly good, but also not bad. Drinkable, and gets a bit better as it warms to me. Light char and burnt notes, and despite my low rating, this is worth a try for its uniqueness.

12oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass. Pours a very dark brown, similar to Coke/Pepsi. Little bit of foam w/ nice lacing. I don't know what to say, I don't smell too much. Malts and grains are in the mix. There's a very subtle spice aroma and it's subtle in the taste as well. Pretty bitter, not much sweetness going on. Mouthfeel is alright, lots of carbonation, fizzy, smooth. Drinkability is average, not much going on to keep my attention. Boring beer.

The big problem was the the aromas and flavors are very bland. This really isn't an interesting beer, although it's well crafted.

I originally sampled this beer on 4 December 2002. I am writing this review from my notes.
This brew has a nice malty nose. What really ruined it for me was the astringent aftertaste. I may try it again next year when it's out, but this was a big disappointment. You win some, you lose some.

This has the appearance of foamy soda, very bubbly and caramel-brown colored. Not much aroma comes through. The flavor is all out of wack. There’s a harsh clove taste to it that dominates, and a sharp finish. It manages to be bitter without any hoppiness. Next year I’ll pass.

Appearance - Dark Red/Crimson that borders on being opaque Black. Pours a 2 fingerhead that leaves behind some decent lacing.

Smell - Burnt and Roasted Malts with hints of Chocolate, Yeasts and fruity notes. There's also a distinct apple scent thrown in as well.

Taste - It starts off with a very sweet fruity note, but finishes off with a bitter aftertaste. Burnt Malts are also pretty strong, perhaps a little too strong, as well as yeasts, spices and the mild fruity notes. Okay as far as flavor, but the burnt malts offset the flavor a bit too much.

Mouthfeel - Body is on the heavier side, which is normal for this type of ale. The carbonation is a bit too much for this type of beer.

Overall - Had the burnt malt flavor and carbonation not been as strong, I would've loved this beer. It does start out promising, but in the end I felt disappointed and felt that this could've been better; There are better Winter Warmers out there than this

A translucent, dark purplish chocolate color, with a thick, creamy tan head that quickly dissipated and left a slight, sticky lace. A fairly sweet, piney aroma dominates, joining roasted malt and alcohol. The taste is malty, with burnt toast and sweet spruce, finishing with a strong bitter taste and warmth of alcohol. The body leans towards thin and boozy, with very little carbonation. Overall I found the aftertaste a bit too acrid to make the Wassail that drinkable, even more so if you serve it strait from the fridge.